


"can I ask you a question?"

by rozequartz



Category: ONEUS (Band), ONEWE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, mostly because I don't know where this story is going yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:01:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29076789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rozequartz/pseuds/rozequartz
Summary: There was no use in trying to hide it. The blush on Hyungu’s face and his loss of words made the answer clear as day. His soulmate was the part time vocal instructor at the music academy they all attended. The 20 year old whom all of the high schoolers at the academy swooned over and shamelessly threw themselves at after asking for extra lessons or help setting up their equipment. The incredibly hot and charming singer who probably saw Hyungu as just another hopeless music student...Hyungu, Harin, and Giwook do music together. Yonghoon is an assistant instructor at the music academy they all attend. Things get interesting when a new student named Dongmyeong joins them for practice.
Relationships: Jin Yonghoon/Kang Hyungu | Kanghyun
Comments: 8
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

In this world only a few things were guaranteed, life, death, and soulmates. Everybody had one. Everybody had at least one person in the world who was their perfect match. There was no guarantee that you would ever meet this person, but they did exist.

Thankfully, while identifying soulmates was difficult at times, it was not impossible. Soulmates always shared a mark of some sort on their skin. Most resembled small tattoos with little symbols or drawings. Most soulmates were also located close geographically, usually a friend or a neighbor, but there were times when soulmates lived in different countries and even different continents, which always gave people doubts on whether there was really someone out there for them.

It was actually quite taboo for one to openly go out and search for their soulmate. There were many novel attempts, like cellphone apps with international databases to help people find their match, but it never really caught on. Most people seemed to prefer to let things happen slowly and organically.

This was changing with the younger generation though. While it wasn’t a drastic change, younger people were becoming more open to sharing their soulmate marks with friends who could help them check around their school for a match. Some even refused to cover up their soulmate marks with clothing, calling for dress code reforms that wouldn’t punish students so strictly for showing off their marks. The average age that one found their soulmate was declining steadily.

Hyungu grew up in this new generation. With pressure from parents to wait and find out naturally and pressure from peers to reveal what his mark looked like. He was 16 years old when he accidentally revealed the cute flower printed near his collarbone for the first time. He was wearing a shirt that was just a little bit too low cut at his music academy, so that when he slung his guitar strap over his shoulder, the image was just visible to others in the room. When his friend Harin spotted the soulmate mark, he signaled with his eyes for his friend Giwook to look over at Hyungu. Giwook was confused at first, but exclaimed loudly when he realised what was going on. He was only 14 at the time, and the idea of soulmates was really exciting for him. He rushed over to a confused Hyungu to get a closer look.

“Wahhh hyung your mark is a flower! How cute!”

Hyungu rushed to pull up his shirt and quiet his friend to avoid attracting more attention to himself.

“Have you met your soulmate yet?” Giwook asked quite loudly and innocently, not realising that Hyungu was not comfortable speaking so openly about the topic.

“I’ll tell you later if you drop it for now, okay?” Hyungu just said the first thing he thought of to calm the situation, not realising he just promised to talk about it again later with Giwook.

“Okay! Don’t forget!” he said with a smile and happily walked back over to his place in the practice room.

Hyungu sighed, his heart beating rapidly after attracting the attention of half the room. While it wasn’t such a big deal for them, it was for him...

After practice that day, Hyungu, Harin, and Giwook left the academy together and went to a nearby convenience store to grab some ice cream. It was a warm evening for once, so they sat down outside together and had their cold desserts. While they were considered friends at the music academy, they had not known each other long and were not particularly close yet. This was one conversation that helped build their friendship.

“Sooooooo…” Giwook said, looking Hyungu dead in the eye with a small smirk on his lips. “Are you going to tell us?”

Hyungu really hoped that the younger had forgotten by now. “About what?” Hyungu played dumb.

“Your soulmate.” Giwook smiled. “Who is it? Do we know them?”

“No idea. I haven’t met them yet.”

Harin and Giwook gave each other a defeated look. Giwook looked down and shook his head, sighing dramatically.

“So you’re telling me that you reacted like that back at the academy when you don’t even know who your soulmate is?” Harin questioned not expecting an answer. “What is this? The 1800s? You’ll be lucky if you find your soulmate this century,” he joked.

“Hey!” Hyungu pouted. “I’m fine. I’ll meet him someday.”

“Him?”

Oh. No.

“So you do know who your soulmate is.”

“I don’t.”

“Yes you do.”

“No I don’t.”

“You don’t need to lie to us.”

“I’m not lying.”

“So who is it?”

“I already said I don’t know”

“Is it Keonhee?”

“Eww no we’re just friends.”

“Is it that one kid you play guitar with on Saturdays sometimes?”

“Definitelyyy not.”

“So who is it?”

Hyungu was a terrible liar and knew that Harin saw right through him. “I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“Because…”

“Because now is not a good time for him to find out so I don’t want to take any chances.” Hyungu knew he already said too much.

“That literally doesn’t make any sense. Who wouldn’t want to know who their soulmate is?”

Hyungu thought for a moment. “Okay if I give you the reason will you promise to just drop it after?”

“Shoot.”

“Well... right now I’m a 2nd year high school student... and he’s a 2nd year college student.”

“OH MY GOD IT’S YONGHOON,” Giwook yelled after staying quiet this entire time, startling the two others. “THAT’S WHY YOU DIDN’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT AT THE ACADEMY.”

Fuck.

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK

There was no use in trying to hide it. The blush on Hyungu’s face and his loss of words made the answer clear as day. His soulmate was the part time vocal instructor at the music academy they all attended. The 20 year old whom all of the high schoolers at the academy swooned over and shamelessly threw themselves at after asking for extra lessons or help setting up their equipment. The incredibly hot and charming singer who probably saw Hyungu as just another hopeless music student...

“Wow…” Harin said after some time, “that’s tough,” he added thinking about how it must feel for someone to see their soulmate being hit on day after day by their peers, “but good for you,” he smirked. Hyungu rolled his eyes.

“How do you know that you’re soulmates?” Giwook asked innocently, not in a challenging tone, but curious as to how it happened.

“Well I… I kinda sorta.. accidentally walked in on him changing once when I was looking for my notebook...”

Giwook laughed out loud at the thought of Hyungu awkwardly staring at the singer's chest and realising that they were soulmates while a confused Yonghoon stood in the room shirtless wondering why this random guitar student was even there in the first place, let alone admiring his topless body.

“Are you sure he doesn’t know?” Giwook got out in between his laughs. “It would seem pretty obvious to me if that happened.”

“I seriously doubt it. I’m sure things like that happen to him all the time…” Hyungu sighed, not wanting to think about all the things his soulmate could be doing in the other 23 hours a day that Hyungu didn’t see him.

“Awww are you jealous?” Harin cooed as Hyungu swatted him away. “Why don’t you just tell him?”

“I think it would be really weird for both of us because he’s kinda like… a teacher. And I kinda want him to notice me on his own if that makes any sense..” he added shyly.

“Aww that is so cute!“ Giwook gushed as he clutched his heart dramatically. “I wish I knew who my soulmate was,” he said, suddenly looking dejected. “I don’t even have a proper soulmate mark.”

“Huh? Is that even possible?” Harin questioned.

“Apparently. My doctor says it’s not that common but it happens. He says that I technically do have a mark, but it’s difficult to tell exactly what it is.”

“So what are you supposed to do then?”

“Well the person I’m supposed to be with shouldn’t have one either so that’s a start. I might never be able to know who it is for sure, but I think I’ll be able to tell once we’ve been together for a while.”

While Hyungu knew it would be difficult for Giwook to find his true love, he sort of envied him. He would be able to date around and find his partner naturally, like the stories that his parents would tell him about the “good old days” where people didn’t let their soulmate marks get in the way of following their hearts.

“Have you met anyone who doesn’t have a mark?”

“Yeah actually. There’s not many, but more than you would think. I actually used to really like someone who also didn’t have one but... things didn’t really work out and it kinda ruined our friendship in the process.”

"Oh. Sorry that happened."

"It's okay, it was a while ago anyways. The only thing is that we live near each other so it's just awkward sometimes."

"Not to prod, but how did they know that you weren't soulmates?"

"Actually I'm the one who ended things. We did date briefly, but I saw the way he looked at… someone else. I guess I was right because they are together now," Giwook laughed as he spoke, but Hyungu could tell that it wasn't genuine.

"So…. what about you?" Hyungu asked Harin awkwardly, feeling the tension hanging over them.

"Me? I just haven't met them yet I guess," he shrugged.

"Boringggg," Giwook booed. "Is that the best you've got?"

"What?! It's true."

They all laughed together and spent way too long talking there outside of the convenience store. So long that the shop owner had to come outside and tell them they were taking up space for other customers. Their friendship grew over the coming weeks and months as they spent more afternoons together after their music lessons. For a while it was just the three of them, until their circle of friends started suddenly growing.

It started when the three became more serious about doing music together. Hyungu on guitar, Harin on drums, and Giwook on bass. They told the music instructors, who helped them perform with a rotating cast of singers and keyboard players, but none of them ever stuck.

That was until they met Dongmyeong. Well, until Hyungu and Harin met Dongmyeong.

When the new student arrived at the academy, Hyungu didn’t think much of it. Students came and left all the time, as they found new hobbies or traded practice for more hours in cram schools. Hyungu did notice though, that Dongmyeong was a vocal and piano student, and always kept that at the back of his mind. Dongmyeong was a bright kid, with charisma and good stage presence. Hyungu didn’t see him much at first, but every time they spoke, he could tell they would get along nicely.

As the three friends were preparing for their next stage, one of the program coordinators approached the group. She told them that there was a new student she would like to introduce them to if they were interested. Giwook thanked her and suddenly excused himself as he scurried over to his bag and pulled out his phone, eyes glued to the screen.

The lady called Dongmyeong over and was about to introduce them, but they all greeted each other by name. She left them to it, knowing her work was done, and smiled as she walked away hoping they could all become friends.

“So, will you be joining us for the next performance?” Harin asked warmly and excitedly.

“Sure! If you all want me to that is,” he smiled.

“Of course. It will be great, I can tell,” Harin answered earnestly, and Hyungu nodded in agreement.

"What about Giwook? What's he doing over there?" Dongmyeong said loud enough so that the boy could hear him.

He pretended not to, and waited until Harin called him over to look up at the three of them.

"Umm I have to go,” he told them and held up his phone, “but you can discuss the plans without me, I’ll catch up later. See you!" And with that, he packed up his things and left.

“Where’s he going?” Harin asked Hyungu who was just as clueless.

“Oh. It’s probably because I’m here,” Dongmyeong said plainly.

“Oh no, don’t worry it’s not because of you” Harin reassured, but Dongmyeong clarified.

“I think it is though. I know him. We’re friends... kinda.”

“Oh”

“He hasn’t mentioned it, has he?”

“No he hasn’t told us anything,” Harin looked at Hyungu for confirmation who nodded his head.

“Are you three friends?”

“Yeah! We’ve been doing music together for a while. Why?”

“Oh. I’m just not sure how much you already know or... if he would be comfortable with me telling you anything.”

“Why wouldn’t he be? You’re friends right?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that. Well not really, but Giwook thinks that it is.”

“How do you know him?”

“Umm, we were good friends a few years ago. And we live near each other.”

Oh.

Fuck.

Harin was not as quick to catch on. “Oh really? Oh wait.. OH.” He laughed awkwardly and looked at Hyungu to save him.

Hyungu did what he knew best in the situation. He played dumb. “Oh haha. He’s just a bit shy I guess.”

“You know don’t you?”

“Know what? haha”

“Nevermind..” Dongmyeong said, not wanting to push him. “Anywaysss, what are you guys planning on performing for the show?”

They spent the rest of their time together talking about the upcoming performance and discussing their musical experience. Hyungu texted Giwook some of the plans and asked him where he was. Giwook replied about the music but ignored the question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!
> 
> I have the first 5 chapters written already so I'll update soon!


	2. Chapter 2

A while later, it was just Hyungu, Dongmyeong, and a few other students left at the academy. Hyungu never usually stayed this late, but Dongmyeong did, so they kept talking until late in the evening, even after Harin had to return home.

Unexpectedly, his phone chimed and he received a message:

**Giwook** : sorry about earlier

**Hyungu** : it’s okay

**Giwook** : does he want me there?

**Hyungu** : what?

**Giwook** : dongmyeong

**Giwook** : is he fine with me performing with you all?

**Hyungu** : i’m sure he is, but why don’t you ask him yourself

**Hyungu** : he’s here with me right now

**Giwook** : no

**Giwook** : i mean

**Giwook** : i’ll talk to him myself tomorrow

**Giwook** : please don’t say anything

**Giwook** : goodnight

“Oh, that’s my ride. It was nice talking with you today. Practice tomorrow?”

“Yeah! I’ll have the sheet music ready for you by then.”

Dongmyeong waved goodbye and hopped into his car. Hyungu usually walked home, but he felt extra tired today and decided to wait for the last bus that stopped in front of the next building over. He sat on the academy steps as he waited, calculating how many hours of sleep he could get in tonight if he finished all of the homework he was supposed to do.

“Hey. Is someone coming to get you?”

Today was REALLY not Hyungu’s day.

He recognized the voice instantly. Of course he did. Anyone at the academy would.

“Hello?”

“Oh hello. No, I’m just waiting for the bus,” he answered, not meeting Yonghoon’s eyes.

“It’s going to be 20 minutes at least,” he said with a hint of concern in his voice. “Do you want to wait inside? I have the keys to the building.”

“NO, no. I’m fine. Thank you.”

Yonghoon hesitated. “Do you... want a ride? It will be a lot faster than waiting for the bus.”

“NO. Thank you haha. I wouldn’t want to bother you.”

“It’s okay. I wouldn’t offer if it was a bother.”

“I’m fine,” Hyungu answered softly after a few moments.

“Alright”

Hyungu waited on the steps for another 25 minutes, replaying the situation over and over again in his head while he waited, embarrassed at how flustered he had gotten. He saw the bus turn onto the street and stood up, collecting his items.

Just as he began descending the steps he heard a voice call out to him.

“Goodnight!”

Was he there the entire time??? Hyungu froze in place, as he watched Yonghoon stand up from sitting on the ground in front of the building and walk over to the staff parking.

“Don’t miss your bus,” he waved and got into his car.

Oh. Right.

Also

  
  


FUCK

~

Giwook didn’t show up for practice the next day and neither did Hyungu. Well actually Hyungu did show up, but VERY late. He slept through his alarm in the morning and got after school detention for it. He considered not going at all, but remembered that he promised to give Dongmyeong the music they were planning on performing for the show. This would have been a whole lot easier if they had just exchanged contact information, but he totally forgot about it at the time.

Hyungu didn’t even bother bringing his guitar to the academy. He planned to just drop off the music and leave, and maybe talk to Giwook if he could, but the boy was nowhere to be found.

He quickly found a staff member and asked if she would be able to give the papers to Dongmyeong when he finished his music lessons. She said that it would be fine for him to interrupt for a bit to give it to him, so she gave him the room number where Dongmyeong would be. Hyungu thanked her and quickly walked over to find the room.

But of course the universe always had plans to make Hyungu’s life more difficult.

When he reached the door of the practice room, he tried to open it as quietly as he could, which meant opening it swiftly. Except that the door was locked so it made a loud and sudden noise when he tried. The door had a small window in it and Hyungu could see the people inside staring at him. He would have just ran away, but he saw someone walking towards the door to open it for him. He breathed out slowly to compose himself and decided to just ask whoever it was if they could please give the papers to Dongmyeong.

Well the person that opened the door was Yonghoon. Of course it was. He was the assistant vocal instructor. Hyungu found it very intimidating, not just because of what had happened the night before, but because Yonghoon was so damn tall and was standing right in front of him.

  
  


Oh yeah, and also because THAT WAS HIS SOULMATE.

  
  
  


“Do you need something?” he asked with a smile.

“Umm could you give this to Dongmyeong.” Yonghoon gave him a questioning look so he continued, “It’s the music for our next performance together.”

“Ohh yes of course. I’ll get it to him.” Yonghoon took the pages. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Hyungu thanked him quietly and left, trying hard not to read into that last comment too much.

  
  


**Hyungu** : where are you?

**Giwook:** practice. where are you?

**Hyungu** : i just came from the academy though...

**Giwook** : oh

**Hyungu** : if you don’t want to tell me that’s fine, but please don’t lie

**Giwook** : sorry

**Hyungu** : are you okay?

**Giwook** : i’m fine

**Giwook** : i just

**Giwook** : don’t want things to be weird because of me

**Hyungu** : i promise it’s not

**Giwook** : yeah

**Giwook** : okay

**Giwook** : i’ll see you tomorrow

**Giwook** : for real this time

Hyungu hoped he was telling the truth. Giwook was always such a happy child, and he hated seeing him (or not seeing him that is) try to hide from his problems.

**Hyungu** : if you do come tomorrow, i’ll tell you about something that happened with yonghoon yesterday...

**Giwook** : WHY DO I ALWAYS MISS OUT ON THE GOOD STUFF

~

It was a Saturday, meaning that instead of meeting up after school, Hyungu, Harin, and Giwook would meet up somewhere. That somewhere usually being Harin’s house because it was almost dead center in between where Hyungu and Giwook lived (plus Harin had a really nice yard). 

Hyungu took his time getting ready and leisurely walked himself over to Harin’s place as he listened to music on his phone. The air felt fresh as it had rained the night before, but it was sunny now. He was honestly lucky that he made it to Harin’s house in one piece because he was really not paying attention to where he was going, but he had been making the walk for a few months now, so his legs somehow knew exactly where to carry him.

When he arrived, he was glad to see that Harin and Giwook were already having fun and laughing together. As soon as they saw Hyungu walk up though, they looked at him expectantly. 

“So...”

“So?”

“Are you going to tell us?”

Wow. They were already all up in his business, and in record time. He at least thought they would greet him first, but he guessed that was being a bit too hopeful. He couldn’t blame them though, because he would have done the same if the situation were reversed. Once again, Hyungu decided to play dumb, even though he knew he couldn’t escape the questioning. “About what?”

“About the love of your life of course,” Giwook beamed.

“Ew don’t call him that.”

“But it's trueeee”

“Yeah yeah,” Hyungu grumbled as he sat down on one of the vacant patio chairs.

“So... what happened?”

“Uhh well...” Hyungu started blushing just at the thought of it.

“WHAT DID YOU DO???”

“NOTHING just... I don’t know. I just feel like maybe I’m reading too far into things..”

“OH MY GOD HYUNG JUST SPIT IT OUT ALREADY”

“OKAY okay. Umm.. well to put it short I guess he just sorta... watched me from afar for like half an hour while I waited for the bus?”

“Why does that make him sound like a huge creep though??” Harin interjected as Giwook choked on his lemonade.

“Well no, I mean.. it wasn’t really weird in the moment. He offered to take me home first but-”

“AND YOU DIDN’T LEAD WITH THAT?” Now Giwook was visibly malfunctioning.

“But don’t you think he would have done that for anyone though?”

“Maybe, but I doubt it. So let me get this straight, he offered you a ride, you said no, and then he stayed behind until you left?” Harin guessed.

“Pretty much.”

“Interesting… So like, are you avoiding him now? Is that why you didn’t come to practice yesterday?”

“Huh? You told me you went. How did you know I wasn’t there?” Poor Giwook was being taken on an emotional rollercoaster today.

“I didn’t go to practice, but I went to give Dongmyeong the music you arranged for our performance.”

Shit.

Hyungu planned on avoiding talking about Dongmyeong until Giwook brought it up himself.

“Oh. Yeah...right. Umm... did he like... happen to say anything about it or?”

“I actually didn’t see Dongmyeong yesterday...” Hyungu hesitated, wondering if he should change the subject, “I… asked Yonghoon to give it to him.”

“Hyungu what the fuck. You are a horrible storyteller,” Harin took the bait. 

“I WAS GETTING TO THAT.”

~

The rest of the weekend flew by, like all other weekends flew by, just enough time to rest, not enough time to enjoy being out of school. It was a Monday, meaning that Hyungu would sit in a classroom for what felt like eternity, counting down the hours until he could leave and get back to practicing. He didn’t really want to stress out too much about the future, but if this whole music thing didn’t work out, he really had no idea what else he would do. Thankfully, he had no major assignments or exams coming up, so his stress levels were considerably lower than normal. He could give his full attention to preparing for the upcoming performance. 

Because he had missed the last Friday session, he was even more eager to get back to playing as a group. His excitement, however, didn’t stop him from making a quick run to the convenience store along the way to pick up some snacks. His bag now crinkled with the sound of the wrappers as he walked, which made him smile.

Because of his detour, he was approaching the academy from behind instead of from the front entrance. The academy had a nice courtyard beside it where he was planning to have a quick bite before practice. He found a small bench to sit on and set his stuff down, admiring the bits of nature placed around him.

He turned his music off when he finished snacking, now able to hear what was going on around him. He could hear stray tunes of instruments that escaped through the building’s open doors and windows. There was currently a jazz session playing that Hyungu was particularly enjoying. He stayed outside until the song ended, and then gathered his things, ready for the long day of practice ahead. He paused when he could suddenly hear Giwook’s voice, and... Dongmyeong’s?

Hyungu saw them sitting outside together. He didn’t want to intrude, but damn it was hard to mind his own business.

"Why would I be mad? You did the right thing, and now my brother is happy with his new boyfriend," he smiled. "Don't worry about it. Sure Dongju is my twin, but we’re very different people. You're still my friend, if you want to be that is."

Twin...

TWIN??

So if Hyungu now understood correctly, what he had assumed earlier was wrong. Dongmyeong was actually not Giwook’s ex, but Giwook’s ex’s twin brother...

That fact didn’t necessarily make anything better, but the fact that they seem to have now made up certainly did. Hyungu waited until they went back into the academy first before walking all the way around to enter through the front doors.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> will update soon!
> 
> comments appreciated! let me know what you think so far :)


	3. Chapter 3

After their individual practice, it was time for the four musicians to meet up and try performing the piece as a group for the first time. Hyungu was a bit nervous because the piece was more ambitious than the others they had worked on before. It required concentration as the melodies were more intricate and mistakes would be more obvious, even to the untrained ear.

The four boys set up their instruments separately, and few words were exchanged between them. Even though they had never tried performing the song as a group before, one of the instructors decided to turn it into a mini evaluation, so the mood felt slightly tense.

Hyungu would be lying to himself if he thought the attempt went well. He was disappointed in his playing, as he lost his place several times throughout the song, which wasn’t normal for him, and was a contrast between the others’ near perfect performance. It also didn’t help that there were so many people in the room at the time, which made him extra nervous.

The critique they received was mostly positive. The instructors noted that there were definitely issues, but said they were confident they would be smoothed out before the show. The boys were quickly dismissed so that other groups had the chance to perform in front of the staff and receive feedback.

Hyungu had a particularly difficult time processing the critique. Maybe it was because he felt that all of the negative comments were directed towards him and the positive ones to the other group members. Maybe it was because of the whispers he heard from the other academy students. He had a lot of pride in his abilities, and hated feeling that he brought the rest of the group down.

He gathered up his stuff a bit more forcefully than normal, and left the room before the others could notice. He didn’t stop walking until he was out of the building and back out to the courtyard he visited earlier, where he sat down, resting his head in his hands on the table in front of him.

It wasn’t long before he heard footsteps. It was already getting dark out, so he was sure that whoever was approaching had come out looking for him.

Hyungu expected a voice to follow, but it never came. The air was filled with mostly silence again. After what seemed like several minutes, he heard the person approach further and seat themselves next to him.

“I’m fine. I just need a minute.” Hyungu said softly, embarrassed that someone was seeing him sulk.

A hand was placed on his shoulder, causing him to look up expecting Giwook, who usually took it upon himself to cheer up the others in tense situations.

“Are you okay?” Yonghoon questioned softly, hand lingering.

Hyungu didn’t say anything. Even if he wanted to say something, his body wouldn’t let him. He broke the eye contact and diverted his gaze back down to the ground in front of him.

“Your band did well today. You’re a really great player.” Yonghoon complimented, and that was what really caused Hyungu to break down.

Tears gathered in his eyes, and he started shaking slightly, in part because the sun had set and the cool night air had taken over. Yonghoon didn’t say anything, comforting hand never leaving Hyungu’s shoulder. 

He didn’t know what made him do it, but Hyungu suddenly found himself reaching over to the singer, attaching himself to his side as he hugged him, rough inhales slightly more pronounced.

Yonghoon was taken aback, but didn’t resist, and he reached an arm around the younger, holding him steady.

~

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed there like that, but it was long enough that he stopped crying and residual feelings of frustration from the performance were starting to fade. Now rather than feeling embarrassed about his playing, he was feeling embarrassed about the situation he had just gotten himself into and how uncharacteristically vulnerable he was being, even without saying a word.

“I’m sorry,” Hyungu managed to mumble out, as he began to peel himself away from Yonghoon.

“Please don’t be. Don’t worry about it, okay? Seriously, no judgement,” Yonghoon reassured as he was sure Hyungu felt embarrassed by reaching out for emotional support like this.

Hyungu nodded, trying his best to make eye contact with the older as he wanted to show his sincerity. There was something about the way Yonghoon looked at him, with genuine care and at the same time curiosity, which made sense considering the two were practically strangers. He couldn’t help himself, he reached over and embraced the older again, this time holding on a little tighter.

Hyungu thought about it. If he stayed silent, he didn’t think that the singer would just forget about his odd moment. Hyungu really hated the idea of Yonghoon telling the staff about his mini breakdown and one of the instructors checking in on him the next day. He was already embarrassed enough, and wanted as few people to be involved as possible.

Well, here goes nothing...

“Can I show you something?” he said finally. Yonghoon pulled away to look at him, expression soft. Hyungu slowly reached up, hands trembling because of his nerves and the cold. He shakily unfastened the top button of his shirt, pushing it to the side revealing the flower mark that decorated his skin there. That was definitely _not_ what the older was expecting.

“You...”

“Sorry if this is sort of sudden, but I-”

Now Yonghoon was the one who hugged him, eyes suddenly teary. Hyungu didn’t have the strength to hug him back, overcome by emotions once again.

Yonghoon just laughed his beautiful laugh, the happiest sound that Hyungu had ever heard.

“Oh gosh. I shouldn’t have shown you that,” Hyungu said suddenly, the fuller implications of what had just happened now overwhelming his thoughts.

“Don’t be silly”

“I’m serious”

“What?” Yonghoon said worriedly, pulling away slightly to look at his expression.

“Really. I just...don’t want things to be weird, you know?”

“Why would it be weird? We’re soulmates.”

“Well yeah but…”

“But what?”

“I should get home,” Hyungu picked up his things and stood up, slightly off balance from how overwhelmed he was.

“Wait-”

“Goodnight,” he said, retreating back to the academy doors.

“Are you taking the bus?”

Hyungu stopped, but couldn’t look at him. “No, I walk.”

“But it’s dark out.”

“I always walk home. I like the night.”

“Can I give you a ride?”

“I’m fine”

“Please?” Yonghoon’s eyes were becoming another type of teary, afraid of rejection.

“I’m fine”

“Then can I walk with you?”

Hyungu felt his heart skip a beat, “I said I’m okay. I do this every day.”

“I know you don’t need me to. I want to.” He was determined.

Hyungu thought for a while longer and sighed, “I don’t think that’s a good idea...how would you get home?”

“I’ll walk back here after. Don’t worry about me. Please? I really want to talk to you.”

It felt like almost a full minute went by before Hyungu finally responded softly, “If you really want to… but let’s not walk. Don’t go through unnecessary effort because of me.”

“We can walk if you want to. I really don’t mind.”

“No. I’ll... I’ll go with you”

“Are you sure? I don’t mean to pressure you into anything. I’m sorry if I came off that way. I just... want you to be comfortable.”

“I’m sure. I’ll wait for you. I also have some things I should finish up inside,” Hyungu didn’t stall any longer and entered the building, leaving Yonghoon on his own outside.

~

FUCK

  
  


FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK

  
  


In less than one hour, Hyungu entirely derailed the plans he had been thinking about for months for dealing with this whole soulmate issue. New worries he had never even considered filled his head, though after thought. The one thing that kept him from full fledged panic was how receptive Yonghoon had been when he told him. Hyungu always worried about rejection, even if it was entirely unfounded.

Hyungu slipped quietly into the building, avoiding the more crowded hallway on his way to retrieve his stuff. Maybe half of the students had left for the day, but others had stuck around to continue watching the evaluations.

When he got back to the main band room, it was still full of students. He weaved his way through, avoiding eye contact. At the back of the room, he saw Giwook, who was sitting quietly beside Hyungu’s belongings. When Giwook spotted him, he quickly stood up.

“Where did you go? We were looking everywhere for you.”

“Sorry. I was outside.”

Giwook wasn’t sure if he should ask Hyungu if he was okay or not. He could clearly see that he had been crying, but he didn’t want to bring it up in case it would upset him.

“There you are,” When Giwook said that _they_ were looking for him, he expected it to be him and Harin, so he was surprised when he heard Dongmyeong’s voice.

"Sorry I disappeared. I just got a bit upset with myself earlier."

"Don't worry about it. We all have our moments."

"Are you going to head out now?"

"No, I think we're going to stay and watch the rest of the groups. Are you?"

"Yeah I should probably go."

"Okay. Let's practice together tomorrow okay? For real this time."

"Sure," he smiled.

"Don't be late."

"I won't."

And with that, Hyungu gathered his things and made his way towards the front of the building. He figured that Yonghoon would want to stay until the end of the evaluations, so he couldn't actually leave, but he just wanted to be alone for a while. He sat on one of the seats in the front room. He absentmindedly pulled out his phone, but was met with a text notification from a few hours ago.

**Mom** : Take the earlier bus home today if you can. Your grandparents stopped by for dinner. Try not to be too late <3

Well, so much for getting the early bus…


	4. Chapter 4

Hyungu got up and made his way over to the room where students were performing. If it was anyone else, he would have just left and texted them a quick sorry later, but he didn’t have Yonghoon’s number, and he didn’t think standing up his soulmate on the first day they really met would be a good idea. He easily found him in the crowd, his height contrasting that of the many younger students. When Yonghoon spotted him, the older smiled brightly and beckoned him to come over and sit beside him.

“Hey Yonghoon, something came up and I have to go now. I’ll see you later.”

“Wait no let me take you. I can go now if you need to.”

The offer was tempting, Hyungu really did not feel like walking.

Before he could answer Yonghoon stood up and Hyungu found himself being led out the door.

The ride home was better than expected. The inside of Yonghoon’s car was nice and warm, and it smelled like the cologne that Yonghoon wore. When he started the car, a pop song played loudly on the radio, but Yonghoon quickly changed it to something more mellow as he asked where Hyungu lived. 

Hyungu looked out the window for most of the way, but snuck glances at Yonghoon every once in a while. He pretended not to notice. Yonghoon was uncharacteristically quiet for most of the ride, mostly because he was waiting for Hyungu to say something first, but that didn’t happen. He was curious, but he wanted to wait and see if the younger would tell him why he suddenly needed to leave.

Yonghoon pulled up to the quiet street that Hyungu lived on. He stopped the car and they both got out, Yonghoon retrieving Hyungu’s guitar case from the back seat. Instead of handing it to him, he slung the strap over his shoulder.

“Can I walk you to your door?”

“NO,” Hyungu said, suddenly flustered.

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“Can I say hi to your parents?”

“NO, I don’t think that-.”

Yonghoon was mostly teasing, finding it cute how shy Hyungu was. But the front door of Hyungu’s house suddenly opened, his mom standing in the doorway as his grandmother excitedly stepped out to greet him. She enveloped him in a big hug and told him about how much she missed him and about how tall he had gotten, and he apologized for being so late. 

Yonghoon just stood, watching the sweet scene in front of him, but before he knew it, the attention was turned to him.

"Well who is this handsome young man?" His grandmother sang out, eyeing Yonghoon playfully.

“He works at the-.” “I’m his soulmate,” they said at the same time.

  
  
  


UGHHHHH

  
  
  


“Hyunguuu! You didn’t tell me you met your soulmate already,” she hugged Yonghoon kindly, “Welcome to the family. How long have you two known each other?”

“We actually only really met a couple of hours ago,” Yonghoon answered, taking the lead. “I’m a vocal coach at the academy where he takes guitar lessons. It’s really nice to meet you.”

“How sweet, and you’re both musicians! Will you be joining us tonight?”

It was tempting. It really was. But Yonghoon knew he caused Hyungu enough emotional distress for one night. Although he really didn’t have anywhere he needed to be, he politely declined, saying that there was some work he needed to complete, but that he still wanted to greet the rest of the family. Hyungu wanted to protest, but he didn’t want to seem disrespectful.

The three of them walked the short distance to Hyungu’s doorstep. Yonghoon didn’t go in, but kindly greeted the others who were visible inside. He handed Hyungu his guitar and patted the younger’s hair softly.

“Wait!” Yonghoon called out to Hyungu’s grandmother, who was already retreating inside. “Could you please take a picture of us?” Yonghoon took out his phone and handed it to her, who was beaming once again at the two.

Yonghoon got his phone back (only after handing it to Hyungu so that he could get his number) and said his goodbyes. Before he knew it, he was already on his way back to his lonely apartment. The only things on his mind were the fact that he probably missed out on a wonderful home cooked meal, and the way that Hyungu’s hand felt in his as they posed for their first photo together.

~

**Hyungu** : hey

 **Yonghoon** : oh hey

 **Yonghoon** : miss me already ;)

 **Hyungu** : very funny

 **Hyungu** : seriously though, do you think you could maybe not tell anyone about this

 **Hyungu** : at least for now

 **Yonghoon** : why not

 **Hyungu** : please?

 **Hyungu** : i just want some time to think about it

 **Yonghoon** : what’s there to think about

 **Hyungu** : it’s just

 **Hyungu** : out of my comfort zone right now

 **Yonghoon** : what’s out of your comfort zone?

Hyungu didn’t answer.

**Yonghoon** : was it something i did?

 **Hyungu** : no

 **Hyungu** : yes

 **Hyungu** : technically yes

 **Hyungu** : well not something you did

 **Hyungu** : it's just that

 **Hyungu** : you’re yonghoon and i’m hyungu, you know?

 **Yonghoon** : no i don’t know

 **Yonghoon** : what are you talking about?

 **Hyungu** : you always ask a lot of questions

 **Yonghoon** : because you are very stubborn

 **Yonghoon** : hey don’t try to change the subject

 **Hyungu** : i’m just like

 **Hyungu** : insecure or whatever idk

 **Hyungu** : there i said it

 **Hyungu** : now will you please not say anything

 **Yonghoon** : can I ask you a question?

 **Hyungu** : that’s all you do

 **Hyungu** : why are you asking permission now?

 **Yonghoon** : because you don’t like it

Hyungu’s stupid heart did a stupid little fluttery thing after he read that message.

**Hyungu** : i never said that

 **Hyungu** : what’s your question?

 **Yonghoon** : how do you have me saved in your phone?

 **Hyungu** : “Yonghoon”

 **Yonghoon** : :(

 **Yonghoon** : wow

 **Yonghoon** : i’m hurt

 **Yonghoon** : (i’m joking in case you can’t tell) 

**Yonghoon** : devastated even

 **Yonghoon** : but don’t worry

 **Yonghoon** : i won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to

 **Hyungu** : thank you

~

Around 3am, just as Yonghoon was starting to get tired, his thoughts from the day keeping his mind racing all this time, he heard his phone buzz. He was surprised to see it was another message from Hyungu.

**Hyungu** : can you send me the pictures we took earlier

 **Yonghoon** : sure :)

Yonghoon’s heart felt like it was going to burst from happiness as he sent over their first pictures together, overjoyed that Hyungu wanted to have them too.

Hyungu sent back a picture of his own.

It was a screenshot. Hyungu had set Yonghoon’s contact picture to one they had taken together, and instead of “Yonghoon,” the words “my soulmate” were written in its place.

Yonghoon had to remind himself to breathe.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unfortunately, school started again. my goal is to update at least each weekend!
> 
> for some reason i guess i'm a bit shy to respond to comments TT thank you for reading and i'm glad you're enjoying it so far!


	5. Chapter 5

It was now about 3 weeks since the “incident” at the evaluation, and about 1 week until the actual show. It took the boys only a few days of practice together until they consistently performed the piece well enough to show to others. They spent the better part of the last few weeks polishing the fine details and getting to know each other better. They quickly learned each other’s favorite foods, hobbies outside of music, pet peeves, and everything in between. They learned that they all had dreams of playing music professionally, not as supporting instrumentalists, but as musicians in the spotlight themselves. Hyungu learned that Giwook had an interest in rapping, and that Dongmyeong secretly loved dancing, and that Harin excelled at every instrument he tried. It was nice. Dongmyeong was so sunshiney, and fit into their group nicely. The only topic they actively avoided as a group though, was soulmates, not wanting to push each other out of their comfort zones.

Today was the most formal rehearsal they would have before the show. The showcase was going to be recorded and uploaded to the academy’s social pages, so this was everyone’s time to practice getting everything just right, from the audio, to hair and makeup, to the closing remarks. 

“Hyungu can you come to the bathroom with me? I need to fix my makeup,” Dongmyeong asked.

Hyungu laughed as he saw the smudges of black on Dongmyeong’s fingertips. “Sure.” And off they went.

“I’m really excited for the show. I think it will be the biggest audience I’ve ever sang in front of,” Dongmyeong smiled.

“Nervous?”

“Not sure yet.”

“You’ll get used to it pretty quickly. Everyone is usually really nice no matter what happens, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

“Good to know,” Dongmyeong replied, holding the door open. “You know, I’m really glad to be working with you guys. I don’t even think I could ruin the performance if I tried, you’re all so talented.”

“Then you fit right in,” Hyungu complimented.

“This foundation is really good, no?” Dongmyeong asked as he inspected his face in the mirror, removing the traces of smudged eyeliner.

“Not really,” Hyungu chuckled as he looked at himself in the mirror. “I think you just already have nice skin.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. The coverage is light, I can still see my birthmark here. But isn’t the finish pretty? I wonder what brand this is.”

“Oh your birthmark. It’s just like Giwoo-”

  
  


Hold up.

Hyungu thought more deeply about the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

  
  


The lightbulb went on.

The gears were turning.

The thinking cap was dusted off.

Thoughts were being thunk.

What if they were…

No... they can’t be…

His brain was just having another dumb thought, that’s all

But what if they…

  
  


It made perfect sense, but it would be crazy if it was actually true.

  
  


New plan: Get Dongmyeong to talk about his soulmate mark without being too suspicious.

  
  
  


“Can you believe covering our soulmate marks is part of the dress code for the performance? It feels sort of backwards, doesn’t it?” he waited intently for a response.

“Well lucky for me, I don’t have to worry about that,” Dongmyeong hesitated, “Can I....see yours?”

Hyungu just looked at him.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“I just… I don’t have one so, I think they’re interesting.”  _ Bingo _ .

“Here look,” Hyungu pulled down his shirt a bit. “Mine is a rose,” he smiled brightly.

“How cute, it suits you,” Dongmyeong thought about the last few things he had said. “Oh gosh, I promise I’m not trying to flirt with you. I really am just interested in them.”

“Don’t worry, it only partially came off that way,” Hyungu teased and the younger slapped his arm playfully.

“So,” Dongmyeong raised an eyebrow, “are you going to tell me who your soulmate is?”

“My soulmate?”

“Well yeah. You’ve met them right? It’s pretty obvious. You practically lit up when you showed me your mark.”

“Oh. Actually about that… okay if I tell you, can you promise you won’t tell anyone?”

“Of course. Now spill.”

Hyungu quickly checked that all of the bathroom stalls were empty. “It’s umm, it’s Yonghoon.”

“OH REALLY WOW NO WAY JLKAHSJD,” Dongmyeong gushed, “HE’S BEEN SO HAPPY LATELY THAT IS SO CUTE OMG.”

Hyungu just laughed not knowing what to say. Dongmyeong and Yonghoon worked closely together as they were both vocalists. Dongmyeong probably knew way more about Yonghoon than he did.

“Really though. He mentions you sometimes, of course not by name but. Wow I’m really happy for you.”

“Thanks.”

“Wait, so you’re the one who wants to keep it a secret? But you two look so good together.”

“Yeah I guess I’m just not ready for a full on relationship yet...or something like that.”

“Hey if you don’t want him, I’ll take him- OUCH okay okay I’m kidding”

~

When it was their turn to practice on stage, everything just felt right. The song, the chemistry, the energy. Harin watched the three others interact with each other at the front of the stage and couldn’t help but smile brightly, hoping this arrangement would last forever.

They received sincere compliments from the staff, who were excited that the group’s showmanship was beginning to match their musical talents. Rather than instrumentalists, they were becoming real performers.

As soon as they got off stage, they excitedly complimented each other as the adrenaline from the performance began to wear down. They even invited Dongmyeong to their late night ice cream ritual, hoping he would become a permanent addition to their friend group.

~

**Yonghoon** : the staff were talking about your group after practice today

**Yonghoon** : they are all really proud of you guys :)

**Yonghoon** : i wish i could have been there to see it

**Hyungu** : will you be at the real show?

**Yonghoon** : definitely. I promised dongmyeong i would go to support him and my other students of course

**Hyungu** : oh right

**Yonghoon** : why do you ask?

**Hyungu** : just curious

Yonghoon smiled, wondering how Hyungu could get any cuter.

**Yonghoon** : do you want me to go?

**Hyungu** : but you’re already going

**Yonghoon** : still

**Yonghoon** : is it okay if i’m there to support you too?

**Hyungu** : i guess i would like that

Yonghoon just smiled to himself, knowing that Hyungu cared a bit more than he was letting off.

**Yonghoon** : don’t worry. I won’t be too obvious ;)

  
  


Hyungu arrived home at a decent hour that night. He needed to spend a little extra time studying, because this assignment had the potential to push his overall grade up from a 88 to at least a 90. It shouldn’t be too difficult. All he needed to do was come up with a better project topic this time around.

**Hyungu** : hey do you know anything about photography?

**Harin** : i mean

**Harin** : i know what it is

**Harin** : why

**Hyungu** : school project

**Harin** : well in that case no i do not

**Harin** : sorry

**Hyungu:** wait

**Hyungu** : you can still help me though

**Harin** : how so?

**Hyungu** : I need a model

**Harin** : what kind of model?

**Hyungu** : like a person kind of model

**Harin** : you want me to help you find a model?

**Hyungu** : no I want you to be the model

**Harin** : wait what

**Hyungu** : please :)

**Harin** : why me

**Harin** : did you ask giwook already?

**Hyungu** : no

**Harin** : i’m sure he’d be better at it

**Hyungu** : but i want you to do it

**Harin** : umm

**Harin** : alright?

**Harin** : i have no idea what i’m agreeing to right now but

**Harin** : sure

**Hyungu** : excellent

**Harin** : 0_0

It was well past midnight and Hyungu was still typing up his project proposal. He finished it and submitted as his eyelids grew increasingly heavy. He shut his laptop dramatically and went to get ready for bed.

While brushing his teeth, he looked at himself in the mirror. He forgot about the makeup that was put on him earlier and he had no idea how he was supposed to get it off. He remembered Dongmyeong saying something about how some type of oil would work well, but he was too tired to remember.

Wait… Dongmyeong...

Because of all the craziness of the day, he almost forgot about one very crucial detail he learned

Dongmyeong also didn’t have a soulmate mark.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whenever yonghoon and hyungu text i just imagine yonghoon laughing out loud and blepping constantly while hyungu works hard to suppress the smile that always creeps up when he thinks of yonghoon TT


End file.
